Catheter product package and method of forming same

ABSTRACT

A catheter product package and method of forming same in which the package comprises a sheet material wrapped about the catheter product to form a package for the catheter product. The catheter product extends generally longitudinally within the package, and the sheet material extends from a point beyond the proximal end to a point beyond the distal end of the catheter product. The sheet material of the package is wrapped about the catheter product in a manner defining confronting proximal end edges, confronting distal end edges, and confronting side edges. The confronting proximal end edges, distal end edges and side edges of the sheet material are joined by a seal after the sheet material is wrapped about the catheter product to define a sealed cavity. The sheet material has a tear strip affixed to it which causes the sheet material to tear along the tear strip to thereby cause the package to open along an intended opening line. A method of forming a package for a catheter product comprises the steps of providing a sheet material for the package and placing the catheter product on the sheet material. It also includes affixing a tear strip to the sheet material and wrapping the sheet material around the catheter product. Further, the method includes the step of sealing the sheet material to form a sealed cavity with the catheter product being disposed within the sealed cavity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/811,824 filed Jun. 8, 2006.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to catheter productpackaging and, more particularly, to a catheter product package andmethod of forming same.

BACKGROUND

Intermittent catheterization is a good option for many who suffer fromvarious abnormalities of the urinary system. Those with suchabnormalities often find it desirable to use individually packaged,sterile catheters. Important criteria for such a single use productinclude the cost and ease of use in performing intermittentcatheterization.

With regard to both cost and ease of use, these factors apply to boththe catheter and the package for the catheter. Thus, it is importantthat end users find these criteria to be acceptable to enhance thedesirability of intermittent catheterization.

Current intermittent catheters are packaged in such a way that the enduser is usually required to touch the catheter in order to insert itinto the urethra. It is notable in this connection that intermittentcatheters are commonly provided with a surface treatment using alubricant to reduce friction in order to allow for easier, lesstraumatic insertion and withdrawal. Currently, there are two majorcategories of intermittent catheters having lubricated surfaces, i.e.,gel coated catheters and hydrophilic coated catheters.

Gel coated catheters are made easier to insert by having the user applya gel to the catheter surface, or more conveniently, the gel can besupplied with the packaged catheter. Typically, a system may be providedwith the packaged catheter in order to assist in applying the gel to thecatheter surface. This system may be one where the gel is put onto thecatheter surface just before or during the packaging operation, or onewhere the gel is applied to the surface as the catheter is beinginserted by the user.

In a hydrophilic coated catheter, the catheter is typically providedwith a thin hydrophilic coating which is adhered to the outer surface ofthe catheter for activation by contact with a hydrating liquid such asliquid water or saline solution. When the coating is activated bycontact with liquid water or saline solution, it becomes slippery,creating a catheter surface that has an extremely low coefficient offriction. The most common form of this product is a sterile,individually packaged single use catheter provided in a dry state orcondition. The user typically exposes the coating to contact with liquidwater or saline solution, waits approximately 30 seconds or more, andthen removes the catheter from the package in a condition in which it isready for insertion. The waiting time of approximately 30 seconds ormore during which the liquid water or saline solution is in contact withthe coating is necessary to accommodate an induction period foractivation of the coating. During the induction period, as thehydrophilic coating is activated (for example by soaking the catheter inliquid water or saline solution), the hydrophilic coating swells andcauses the catheter surface to become lubricious.

In one version of the hydrophilic coated catheter, it is provided in apackage that already contains enough loose liquid water to cause it tobe fully immersed so the user need only open the package and remove thecatheter ready for insertion without the need to add liquid water orsaline solution and wait 30 seconds or more. Other new products providethe amount of liquid water or saline solution necessary for immersion ofthe catheter in a separate compartment of the package. With theseproducts, one must open the separate compartment allowing the liquidwater or saline solution to enter the catheter-containing chamber fordirect contact with the hydrophilic coated surface. Depending on thecharacteristics of the product and packaging, and on the amount ofliquid water or saline solution in the separate chamber, the user may beasked to manipulate the package to bathe the catheter surface in thehydrating liquid in order to activate the hydrophilic coating on thecatheter surface.

In all of these existing hydrophilic coated catheter products, properlubrication of the catheter depends upon direct contact of liquid wateror saline solution with the entirety of the hydrophilic coated cathetersurface for a definite period of time following which the catheter canbe removed from the package ready for insertion into the urethra by theuser.

With regard to both gel coated catheters and hydrophilic coatedcatheters, the package is important. The package must be formed of amaterial and in a manner which is sufficient to hold the gel coatedcatheter and gel, or the hydrophilic coated catheter and liquid water,for a commercially acceptable shelf life. This means that the packagemust hold these respective products with little or no deterioration toeither the catheter or its lubricant for a period of time that rendersthe packaged catheter commercially acceptable. Typically such a packageis formed of two sheets of a suitable material which hold the gel coatedcatheter and gel or the hydrophilic coated catheter and liquid waterbetween them. The two sheets of material are conventionally securedtogether with an adhesive or by welding to form a seal that extendsentirely about the perimeter of the package. With this understanding ofavailable catheter packages, there is an important criterion that hasyet to be satisfactorily addressed.

In particular, it is well known that many users of intermittentcatheters are persons possessing a limited degree of manual dexterity.Thus, it is imperative that the package can be opened easily by the enduser of either a gel coated, or a hydrophilic coated, catheter whilealso minimizing any risk of the gel contacting the user's hands orclothing or of the liquid spilling from the package. The presentdisclosure avoids these problems in a highly advantageous catheterpackage and method of forming same.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The method of forming a package for a catheter product includes the stepof providing a sheet material for the package. It also includes thesteps of placing the catheter product on the sheet material and,thereafter, wrapping the sheet material around the catheter product.Further, the method includes the step of sealing the sheet material toform a sealed cavity with the catheter product disposed within thesealed cavity.

In one particularly suitable form, the seal comprises a singlelongitudinal seal preferably combined with a pair of end seals atopposite ends of the package and, additionally, the method may includethe step of affixing a tear strip to the sheet material prior to,simultaneously with, or subsequent to, placing the catheter product onthe sheet material.

In an advantageous form of the method, the step of affixing a tear stripto the sheet material includes affixing the strip to extend in a desireddirection relative to the catheter product within the sealed cavityafter the sheet material is sealed. Prior to the wrapping step, thecatheter product and tear strip are both preferably on a common surfaceof the sheet material to extend in laterally spaced, and preferably ingenerally parallel relation in a longitudinal direction thereon.Further, the sheet material may advantageously comprise a liquid tight,gas impermeable foil, and the tear strip may be formed of any of anumber of materials including polyethylene, polyester, or othermaterials, or a combination of materials. The tear strip may beadhesively or otherwise affixed to the common surface of the sheetmaterial or it may be affixed by other means, e.g., the strip may have apolyethylene backing so it can be directly heat sealed to the sheetmaterial. Preferably, the foil has sufficient aluminum content, or isotherwise provided with sufficient tear propagation properties, so thattearing in the direction of the tear strip causes the tear to thereafterpropagate along the tear strip to cause the package to open along anintended opening line.

Alternatively, the package may be formed of a gas permeable material,provided the gas permeability would not compromise the required shelflife for the lubricant (i.e., the gel or liquid) and provided the gaspermeability would not compromise the sterile delivery of the packagedcatheter.

In any case, whether the material for the package is foil or some othermaterial, it will be understood that the selected material should havethe requisite linear tear propagation tendencies to facilitate easyopening of the package by the end user.

Further, the step of sealing the sheet material preferably includesforming a seal preferably generally parallel to the catheter product andforming a seal generally perpendicular to the catheter product at eachof opposite ends thereof. It is, therefore, advantageous to form alongitudinal seal along the length of the catheter product and to forman end seal at each of opposite ends of the catheter product to form thesealed cavity for the catheter product. With the sheet materialcomprising a liquid tight, gas impermeable foil, the longitudinal sealand end seals are preferably all formed as weld seals with one of theend seals formed longer than the other of the end seals.

With the catheter product and tear strip both on a common surface of thesheet material, the tear strip preferably extends from one of the endseals to the other generally parallel to the longitudinal seal. Thus,the tear strip may advantageously be made to extend preferably generallyparallel to the catheter product and also to the longitudinal seal, andit is also made to extend into each of the end seals. With one of theend seals formed longer than the other, the longer of the end sealspreferably has a finger hole and a tear line extends from adjacent thefinger hole to adjacent the tear strip. The catheter product maycomprise a catheter having a hydrophilic coating in which case themethod preferably includes affixing or otherwise disposing a wick, suchas, for example, a fabric strip, an absorbent paper strip, an absorbentopen-celled foam strip or anything else that will emit a vapor, on acommon surface of the sheet material with the tear strip. The methodthen also advantageously includes wetting the wick with an aqueousliquid prior to forming the sealed cavity to thereafter produce a watervapor atmosphere within the sealed cavity to activate the hydrophiliccoating. Preferably, the wick is disposed on the common surface of thesheet material to extend in preferably generally parallel relation tothe catheter and also to the tear strip in a longitudinal direction onthe sheet material.

Whenever a wetted wick is used to activate a hydrophilic coating, a gaspermeable, liquid impermeable barrier may be advantageously heat sealedto the common surface of the sheet material to cover the wick. Thisbarrier is preferably applied and heat sealed to the common surface ofthe sheet material shortly after the wick has been wetted with asuitable liquid. In this manner, the sealed cavity formed by the packagewill have the catheter product in one compartment and the liquid used towet the wick in another compartment whereby the catheter product ismaintained out of direct contact with the liquid.

In addition, it is believed to be desirable to adhesively or otherwiseaffix the tear strip to the heat seal along one of the longitudinaledges of the barrier. The compartment containing the wetted wick isliquid tight as a result of being heat sealed entirely about itsperimeter to confine the liquid therein. Thus, the tear strip is affixedwithin the bounds of the heat seal so the compartment will remain liquidtight even after the package has been opened.

More specifically, the tear strip can be used to cause a tear topropagate along the tear strip to cause the package to open along anintended opening line which exposes only the compartment containing thecatheter product and not the compartment containing the wick wetted withliquid.

In addition, the method of forming a package for a catheter isadvantageous not only for use with catheters alone but also forcatheters assembled within a urine collection bag. In the latter case,the principal difference will be that while the package is stillgenerally rectangular in shape, the ratio of length to width for thepackage used for the catheter/collection bag product will beconsiderably less than for the package used for the catheter alone toaccommodate the typical size and shape of a collection bag. Unlike thelong, narrow shape of a typical catheter package, the catheter will befolded into a generally U-shape within the collection bag therebyrequiring a shorter but wider package.

In an automated method, the sheet material is advanced from a roll in aflat form toward a catheter product receiving point, and the catheterproducts are advanced one at a time above the sheet material toward thecatheter product receiving point. The tear strip is affixed to the sheetmaterial as it advances toward the catheter product receiving point andthe sheet material is wrapped into a U shape to receive the catheterproducts at the catheter product receiving point. The catheter productsare placed on a conveyor that feeds the catheter products onto the Ushaped sheet material one at a time at the catheter product receivingpoint, and the sheet material is then further wrapped to form a cavity.In addition, the automated method includes sealing the sheet material toform separate, sealed cavities, and thereafter cutting the sheetmaterial to form separate, distinct packages for each of the catheterproducts.

In another respect, the present disclosure sets forth a package for acatheter product comprised of a sheet material wrapped about thecatheter product to form a package for the catheter product. Thecatheter product preferably extends generally longitudinally within thepackage, and the sheet material extends from beyond the proximal end tobeyond the distal end of the catheter product. The sheet material iswrapped about the catheter product to have confronting proximal end anddistal end sheet edges and confronting side sheet edges. The confrontingproximal end and distal end sheet edges and the confronting side sheetedges of the sheet material are joined by a seal to define a sealedcavity for the catheter product. In addition, a tear strip is affixed tothe sheet material to cause the sheet material to tear along the tearstrip to thereby cause the package to open along an intended openingline for access to the catheter product in the package.

Preferably, the tear strip extends within the sealed cavity in a desireddirection relative to the catheter product to cause the package to openalong the intended opening line in a manner facilitating removal of thecatheter product from the package for use. The tear strip isadvantageously affixed to an inner surface of the sheet material withinthe sealed cavity and extends from the sealed proximal end to the sealeddistal end sheet edges in generally parallel relation to the catheterproduct. Alternatively, the tear strip is advantageously affixed to aninner surface of the sheet material within the sealed cavity and extendsadjacent and generally parallel to one of the sealed proximal end andsealed distal end edges. In either case, the sheet material preferablycomprises a liquid tight, gas impermeable foil, the tear strip is formedof a suitable material such as polyester having a polyethylene backing,and the tear strip is affixed in position within the sealed cavity onthe inner surface of the sheet material.

In one embodiment, the package is of a generally rectangular shape, thesheet material is wrapped about the catheter product and sealed todefine a front panel and a rear panel, and a longitudinal seal is formedin the middle of the rear panel. The tear strip is then affixed to aninner surface of the sheet material so as to be positioned in the middleof the front panel so as to be directly opposite the longitudinal sealformed in the middle of the rear panel. In another embodiment, the frontand rear panels define a pair of parallel side edges and include a pairof tear strips affixed to an inner surface of the sheet material so thatone of the tear strips is positioned at each of the side edges.

In still another embodiment, the front and rear panels define a pair ofparallel side edges and include a single tear strip affixed to an innersurface of the sheet material near or adjacent to one of the side edges.

In still another embodiment, the seal joining the confronting side sheetedges forms a longitudinal seal preferably generally parallel to thecatheter product and the seals joining the confronting proximal end anddistal end sheet edges form end seals generally perpendicular to thecatheter product. The sheet material again advantageously comprises aliquid tight, gas impermeable foil, the longitudinal seal and the endseals all are formed as weld seals, and one of the ends seals is formedlonger than the other of the end seals. With one of the end seals beingformed longer than the other, the longer of the end seals advantageouslyhas at least one finger hole and a tear line extending from adjacent thefinger hole to adjacent the tear strip to propagate tearing along thetear strip.

In still another embodiment, the catheter product comprises a catheterhaving a hydrophilic coating and the package includes a wick disposed onan inner surface of the sheet material within the sealed cavitycontaining the catheter. The wick is wetted with an aqueous liquid priorto forming the sealed cavity so as to thereafter produce a water vaporatmosphere within the sealed cavity to activate the hydrophilic coatingon the catheter. Further, the wick is preferably disposed on the innersurface of the sheet material within the sealed cavity to extend ingenerally parallel relation to the catheter and the tear strip in alongitudinal direction thereon.

In this embodiment, a gas permeable, liquid impermeable barrier isadvantageously heat sealed to the inner surface of the sheet material tocover the wetted wick. This barrier is preferably applied and heatsealed to the common surface of the sheet material shortly after thewick has been wetted with the liquid. In this manner, the sealed cavityformed by the package will have the catheter contained in onecompartment and the liquid used to wet the wick will be entirelyconfined within another compartment. In an automated method forpackaging this embodiment, the conveyor feeds the catheter onto the gaspermeable, liquid impermeable barrier sealed to the sheet material,rather than directly onto the sheet material.

In addition, the tear strip is preferably affixed to the heat seal alongone of the longitudinal edges of the barrier within the bounds of theheat seal so the compartment will remain liquid tight even after thepackage has been opened using the tear strip.

In still another embodiment, the package is formed for use with catheterproducts which comprise catheters folded into a generally U-shape anddisposed within a urine collection bag. The principal difference in thepackages will be the size and shape, i.e., while the package still willbe generally rectangular in shape, the ratio of length to width for thecatheter/collection bag package will be considerably less than for thepackage used for a catheter alone. Unlike the long, narrow shape of atypical catheter package, the catheter will be folded into a generallyU-shape within the collection bag thereby requiring a shorter but widerpackage than for a catheter alone.

With regard to all of the aforementioned features of the package, itwill be understood that they are useful for all catheter productpackages regardless of the exact size and shape and whether or not theyare formed to hold catheters alone or to hold catheter/collection bagassemblies.

In another respect, the catheter product package may be constructed oftwo sheets of material which are sealed about their perimeters to definea catheter product-receiving sealed cavity, or it may be constructed ofa vacuum or thermo formed plastic material to define a cavity sealedwith a sheet material. A tear strip may advantageously be affixed to thesheet material to cause it to tear along the tear strip so the packageopens along an intended opening line whereby the tear strip extends froma perimeter seal to a point within the sealed cavity to facilitateremoval of the catheter product from the package for use. Preferably,the tear strip is secured adhesively or by heat sealing it to an innersurface of the sheet material, and the sheet material is formed of foilor some other material having suitable linear tear propagationtendencies to cause the package to be opened along the intended openingline.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a package for a catheter product in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 1 a is a cross-sectional view of the catheter product package ofFIG. 1 taken along the line 1 a-1 a;

FIG. 1 b is a minor modification of the embodiment of catheter productpackage such as illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a second embodiment of catheter product packagein accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a third embodiment of a catheter productpackage in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 a is a cross-sectional view of the catheter product package ofFIG. 3 taken along the line 3 a-3 a

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of a catheter productpackage in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 a is a cut away view of a tear strip and opening tab for theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an automated method of forming a catheterproduct package in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a fifth embodiment of a catheter productpackage in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 a is a cross-sectional view of the catheter product package ofFIG. 6 taken along the line 6 a-6 a;

FIG. 6 b is an enlarged detail view of the balloon portion of FIG. 6 ashowing the positioning of the heat seal and tear tape;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a sixth embodiment of a catheter productpackage in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a seventh embodiment of a catheter productpackage in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 a is a cross-sectional view of the catheter product package ofFIG. 7 taken along the line 8 a-8 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1 a, the present disclosure comprises a package10 for a catheter product 12 comprising a sheet material 14 wrappedabout the catheter product 12 to form a package for the catheterproduct. The catheter product 12 extends generally longitudinally withinthe package 10, and the sheet material extends from beyond the proximalend 12 a to beyond the distal end 12 b of the catheter product 12. Thesheet material 14 is wrapped about the catheter product 12 so as to haveconfronting proximal end 14 a and distal end 14 b sheet edges andconfronting side sheet edges 14 c. The confronting proximal end 14 a anddistal end 14 b sheet edges and the confronting side sheet edges 14 c ofthe sheet material 14 are sealed as at 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c to define asealed cavity 18 for the catheter product 12. Still referring to FIGS. 1and 1 a, a tear strip 20 is affixed to the sheet material 14 to causethe sheet material to tear along the tear strip 20 to thereby cause thepackage 10 to open along an intended opening line as defined by the tearstrip 20.

As will be seen, the tear strip 20 extends within the sealed cavity 18in a desired direction relative to the catheter product 12 to cause thepackage 10 to open along the intended opening line so as to facilitateremoval of the catheter product 12 from the package 10 for use thereof.The tear strip 20 is adhesively or otherwise affixed to an inner surfaceof the sheet material 14 within the sealed cavity 18 and extends fromthe sealed proximal end 14 a to the sealed distal end 14 b sheet edgesin generally parallel relation to the catheter product 12. With thisarrangement, the sheet material 14 comprises a liquid tight, gasimpermeable foil that may be coated with a heat seal layer, the tearstrip 20 is formed of a suitable material such as polyester having apolyethylene backing, and the tear strip 20 is adhesively or otherwiseaffixed in position within the sealed cavity 18 on the inner surface ofthe sheet material 14.

From the foregoing, and FIGS. 1 and 1 a, it will be appreciated that thepackage 10 is of a generally rectangular shape, the sheet material iswrapped about the catheter product 12 and sealed to define a front panel22 a and a rear panel 22 b, and a single longitudinal seal 16 c isformed in the middle of the rear panel 22 b. It will therefore beappreciated that in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 1 a the tear strip 20is adhesively or otherwise affixed to the inner surface of the sheetmaterial 14 so as to be positioned along one side edge of the package10. In this connection, the front panel 22 a and the rear panel 22 bdefine a pair of parallel side edges 24 and 26 and the tear strip 20 isadhesively or otherwise affixed to an inner surface of the sheetmaterial 14 so as to be positioned along one of the two parallel sideedges 24 and 26 (i.e., the side edge 24 in FIGS. 1 and 1 a).

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 1 a, the seals 16 a and 16 b joining theconfronting proximal end 14 a and distal end 14 b sheet edges form endseals at opposite ends of the catheter product 12 and the seal 16 cjoining the confronting side sheet edges 14 c forms a singlelongitudinal seal generally parallel to the catheter product 12. Aspreviously discussed, the sheet material 14 comprises a liquid tight,gas impermeable foil, and thus the end seals 16 a and 16 b and thesingle longitudinal seal 16 c all are formed as weld seals with one ofthe end seals 16 b being formed longer than the other of the end seal 16a. As shown in FIG. 1, the end seal 16 b which is formed longer than theend seal 16 a has at least one, and preferably two, finger holes 28 and30 and a tear line 32 extending from the side edge 26 between andadjacent to the finger holes 28 and 30 to a point adjacent the tearstrip 20. With the tear line angled toward the tear strip 20, the enduser can use one or both of the finger holes 28 and 30 to propagate thetear line 32 to the tear strip 20 which will thereafter cause the sheetmaterial 14 to tear along the tear strip 20 to thereby cause the package10 to open along the intended opening line (i.e., the side edge 24).

In one application of the catheter product package 10, the catheterproduct 12 comprises a catheter 13 having a hydrophilic coating on aninsertable portion thereof, and the package 10 includes a wick 33disposed on an inner surface of the sheet material 14 within the sealedcavity 18. The wick 33 may comprise any suitable wicking material, suchas, for example, a fabric strip, an absorbent paper strip, or anabsorbent open-celled foam strip. The wick 33 is preferably wetted withan aqueous liquid at a point in time prior to when the sealed cavity 18is formed by forming the seals 16 a, 16 b and 16 c to thereafter producea water vapor atmosphere within the sealed cavity 18 for activating thehydrophilic coating on the catheter 13. As shown in FIG. 1, the wick 33is disposed on and may also be affixed to the inner surface of the sheetmaterial 14 within the sealed cavity 18 to extend in generally parallelrelation to the catheter 13 and to the tear strip 20 in a longitudinaldirection thereon.

As previously suggested, the catheter 13 extends generallylongitudinally within the sealed cavity 18 substantially from a proximalend as at 14 a to a distal end as at 14 b of the package 10. It willalso be appreciated that the sheet material 14 extends from a pointbeyond the proximal end 12 a of the catheter 12 to a point beyond thedistal end 12 b of the catheter 13. In addition, the package 10advantageously comprises a continuous seal formed of the pair of endseals 16 a and 16 b and the single longitudinal seal 16 c to define thesealed cavity 18 for the catheter 13.

Comparing FIGS. 1 and 1 b, it will be noted that there are strikingsimilarities in construction with a single identifiable distinction and,thus, FIGS. 1 and 1 b carry identical reference numerals for identicalelements. Among these identical elements are the pair of finger holes 28and 30 which in both FIG. 1 and FIG. 1 a are in longitudinally spacedrelation within the longer of the end seals 16 b. As for the distinctionmentioned above, FIG. 1 b includes a tear line 32′ having a curved pathfrom one side 26 toward the other side 24 of the package 10 which has aslight curve as at 34 toward and to a point adjacent the tear strip 20.

By including this curve as at 34, one or more of the finger holes 28 and30 can be used by the end user to better ensure that the tear line 32′will propagate directly to the tear strip 20 to cause the sheet material14 to tear along the tear strip 20 to thereby cause the package to openalong the intended opening line at the side edge 24.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the package 110 for the catheter product 112comprises a sheet material 114 wrapped about the catheter product 112 ina manner forming a package for the catheter product 112. The catheterproduct 112 will be seen to comprise a catheter 113 extending generallylongitudinally within the package 110, and the sheet material 114extends from a point beyond the proximal end 112 a to a point beyond thedistal end 112 b of the catheter 113. As described for FIGS. 1 and 1 a,the sheet material 114 is wrapped about the catheter 113 to haveconfronting proximal end 114 a and distal end 114 b sheet edges andconfronting side sheet edges 114 c.

Also, as with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 1 b, there is a wick 133 aswell as seals 116 a and 116 b joining the confronting proximal end 114 aand distal end 114 b sheet edges and a single longitudinal seal 116 cjoining the confronting side sheet edges 114 c of the sheet material 114to define a sealed cavity 118 for the catheter 113.

In contrast to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 1 b, the front and rearpanels define a pair of parallel side edges 124 and 126 wherein a pairof tear strips 120 a and 120 b are adhesively or otherwise affixed to aninner surface of the sheet material 114 so that one of the tear strips120 a and 120 b is positioned at each of the side edges 124 and 126,respectively. It will also be seen in FIG. 2 that a pair of finger holes136 and 138 are provided in laterally spaced relation within the longerof the end seals 116 b and a tear line 140 having a straight pathbetween the finger holes 136 and 138 branches into two curved paths asat 140 a and 140 b toward corresponding tear strips 120 a and 120 b.With this arrangement, the end user can use one or both of the fingerholes 136 and 138 to cause the tear line 140 to propagate along one orboth of the corresponding curved paths 140 a and 140 b to thecorresponding tear strips 120 a and 120 b to thereby cause the packageto open along one or both of the intended opening lines defined by theside edges 124 and 126.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 3 a, the package 210 for the catheter product212 comprises the sheet material 214 wrapped about the catheter product212 in a manner forming a package for the catheter product 212. Thecatheter product 212 will be seen to comprise a catheter 213 whichextends generally longitudinally within the package 210, and the sheetmaterial 214 extends from a point beyond the proximal end 212 a to apoint beyond the distal end 212 b of the catheter 213. As described forFIG. 2, the sheet material 214 is wrapped about the catheter 213 to haveconfronting proximal end 214 a and distal end 214 b sheet edges andconfronting side sheet edges 214 c.

With this arrangement, and like the embodiments of FIGS. 1, 1 b and 2,the confronting proximal end 214 a and distal end 214 b sheet edges andthe confronting side sheet edges 214 c of the sheet material 214 aresealed as at 216 a, 216 b, and 216 c to define a sealed cavity 218 forthe catheter 213.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 3 a, the tear strip 220 is adhesively orotherwise affixed to an inner surface of the sheet material 214 so as tobe positioned substantially in the middle of the front panel 222 a whereit is disposed substantially directly opposite the single longitudinalseal 216 c in the middle of the rear panel 222 b. It will also be seenthat a single finger hole 244 is centrally disposed within the longer ofthe end seals 216 b and an opening tab 246 is formed in the sealeddistal end 214 b by a slit 248 looping from adjacent the tear strip 220,around the finger hole 244, and back adjacent to the tear strip 220.With this arrangement, the finger hole 244 in the opening tab 246 can beused to further propagate the slit 248 toward the tear strip 220 tocause the sheet material 214 to tear along the tear strip 220 to therebycause the package to open along the intended opening line defined by thetear strip 220.

Because the tear strip 220 is in the middle of the front panel 222 a,any liquid within a wick 233 disposed on the inner surface of the rearpanel 222 b will remain captured within the package 210 as the catheter213 is removed through the opening created by tearing along the tearstrip 220. Of course, it is not only desirable for the wick 233 to bedisposed on the sheet material 214 within the sealed cavity 218 so as tobe positioned on the inner surface of the rear panel 222 b, but for itto be laterally offset from the single longitudinal seal 216 c locatedin the middle of the rear panel 222 b. By positioning the wick 233 inthis manner, the catheter 213 can be removed from the package 210through the opening in the front panel 222 a created by tearing alongthe tear strip 220 while retaining within the package 210 the liquidheld within the wick 233.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4 a, the package 310 for the catheter product312 comprises a sheet material 314 wrapped about the catheter 312 toform a package for the catheter 312. The catheter product 312 will beseen to comprise a catheter 313 which extends generally longitudinallywithin the package 310, and the sheet material 314 extends from a pointbeyond the proximal end 312 a to a point beyond the distal end 312 b ofthe catheter 313. As described for FIGS. 3 and 3 a, the sheet material314 is wrapped about the catheter 313 to have confronting proximal end314 a and distal end 314 b sheet edges and confronting side sheet edges314 c.

As with the embodiments of FIG. 1, 1 a, 2 and 3 and 3 a, the confrontingproximal end 314 a and distal end 314 b sheet edges and the confrontingside sheet edges 314 c of the sheet material 314 are sealed as at 316 a,316 b, and 316 c to define a sealed cavity 318 for the catheter 313.

Unlike the prior embodiments, the tear strip 350 is adhesively orotherwise affixed to an inner surface of the sheet material 314 withinthe sealed cavity 318 so as to extend generally perpendicular to thecatheter 313 adjacent one of the sealed proximal end 314 a and sealeddistal end 314 b sheet edges. It will also be seen from FIG. 4 a, thatthe package 310 includes a separate seal as at 316 d along a side edge324 of the generally rectangular package 310, and the tear strip 350extends laterally of the package 310 from the seal 316 d to the oppositeside edge 326 thereof. As also shown most clearly in FIG. 4 a, a pair ofslits 346 a and 346 b are provided on opposite sides of the tear strip350 within the seal 316 d to define an opening tab 352 to tear open thepackage 310.

With this arrangement, the opening tab 352 can be gripped by the enduser and pulled toward the opposite side edge 326 to cause the sheetmaterial 314 to tear along the tear strip 350 to thereby cause thepackage 310 to open along the intended opening line defined by the tearstrip 350.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the end seals 316 a and 316 bare of equal length, unlike the end seals in the earlier describedembodiments, and the single longitudinal seal 316 c extends completelyfrom one end seal 316 a to the other end seal 316 b to thereby provide acontinuous seal. By pulling on the opening tab 352, the tear strip 350will cause one end of the package 310 to open adjacent one end, e.g.,the distal end 312 b of the catheter 313, following which the cathetercan be removed from the package 310 through the open end created byusing the opening tab 352 and tear strip 350.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 6 a, the package 410 for the catheter product412 comprises a sheet material 414 wrapped about the catheter product412 to form a package for the catheter product. The catheter product 412comprises a catheter 413 which extends generally longitudinally withinthe package 410, and the sheet material 414 extends from beyond theproximal end 412 a to beyond the distal end 412 b of the catheter 413.As described for FIGS. 3 and 3 a, the sheet material 414 is wrappedabout the catheter 413 to have confronting proximal end 414 a and distalend 414 b sheet edges and confronting side sheet edges 414 c.

As with the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 1 a, 2, 3 and 3 a, and 4 and 4 a,the confronting proximal end 414 a and distal end 414 b sheet edges andthe confronting side sheet edges 414 c of the sheet material 414 aresealed as at 416 a, 416 b, and 416 c to define a sealed cavity 418 forthe catheter 413.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 6 a, a wetted wick 433 is provided anda gas permeable, liquid impermeable barrier 434 is heat sealed to theinner surface of the sheet material 414 to cover the wick 433. Thisbarrier 434 is applied and heat sealed as at 434 a and 434 b (FIGS. 6 aand 6 b) to the inner surface of the sheet material 414 shortly afterthe wick 433 has been wetted with a suitable liquid. In this manner, thesealed cavity 418 formed by the package 410 will have the catheter 413in one compartment 418 a and the liquid used to wet the wick 433 inanother compartment 418 b whereby the catheter is maintained out ofdirect contact with the liquid.

In addition, the tear strip 420 is adhesively or otherwise affixed tothe heat seal 434 a along one of the longitudinal edges of the barrier434. The compartment 418 b containing the wetted wick 433 is liquidtight as a result of the barrier 434 being heat sealed entirely aboutits perimeter to confine the liquid therein. Thus, the tear strip 420 isaffixed within the bounds of the heat seal 434 a so the compartment 418b remains liquid tight after opening the package.

The tear strip 420 can be used to cause a tear to propagate along thetear strip and through the heat seal 434 a generally along one of thelongitudinal edges of the barrier 434. This causes the package 410 toopen along an intended opening line which will, in turn, expose only thecompartment 418 a containing the catheter 413. However, the compartment418 b containing the wetted wick 433 remains liquid tight because theheat seal 434 a remains sufficiently intact to preserve this condition.

Still referring to FIGS. 6 and 6 a, it will be appreciated that thebarrier 434 will run the full length of the package 410 so that oppositeends thereof are captured within the heat seals 416 a and 416 b. Theheat seals 416 a and 416 b cooperate with the heat seals 434 a and 434 bto complete the heat sealing of the barrier 434 entirely about itsperimeter to thereby form the liquid tight compartment 418 b. Thepackage 410 may also have a heat seal such as 435 which serves toprevent possible backflow of liquid during the manufacturing assemblyprocess until such time as the heat seal 416 a has been formed

Referring to FIG. 7, it will be seen that the package 510 isstructurally identical to the package 410 in FIGS. 6 and 6 a. The onlydifference between them is that the package 410 in FIGS. 6 and 6 a isshown in use with a catheter product 412 in the form of a catheter 413having a no-touch sleeve 415 formed of a gas permeable, liquidimpermeable material. The no-touch sleeve 415 extends along thehydrophilic coated catheter to cover substantially the entire insertableportion. The package 510 in FIG. 7 is shown in use with a catheterproduct 512 in the form of a catheter 513 having an insertion tip 554 atone end thereof and also having a no-touch sleeve 515 attached to atleast the insertion tip 554. In FIG. 7, the catheter 513 includes aprotective cap 556 covering the insertion tip 554 to be removed forusing the catheter.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 8 a, it will be seen that the package 610 isalso almost entirely structurally identical to the package 410 in FIGS.6 and 6 a and the package 510 in FIG. 7. The primary difference is thatthe package 410 in FIGS. 6 and 6 a is shown in use with a catheterproduct 412 in the form of a hydrophilic coated catheter 413 having ano-touch sleeve 415 whereas the catheter product 612 comprises ahydrophilic coated catheter 613 assembled within, and as a part of, aurine collection bag assembly 658. The package 610 is still generallyrectangular in shape, but the ratio of length to width will beconsiderably less than for the packages 410 and 510 which are designedfor use with a catheter alone.

In other words, the package 610 has a size and shape to accommodate thetypical size and shape of a urine collection bag assembly such as 658.Unlike the long, narrow shape of typical catheter-only packages such as410 and 510, the catheter 613 is folded into a generally U-shape withinthe collection bag assembly 658 (see FIG. 8) to form the urinecollection bag assembly thereby requiring a shorter but wider packagefor the assembly due to the shape of the collection bag. While notimportant to the packaging, it will be seen that the catheter 613 in theassembly 658 has a no-touch sleeve 615, an insertion tip 654, and aprotective cap 656.

As will also be appreciated from the embodiments of FIGS. 6, 6 a, 6 b;7; and 8, 8 a, they have other features of the respective catheterpackages 410, 510, 610 in common with the earlier described catheterpackages 10, 110, 210, and 310. In particular, it will be noted that therespective catheter packages 410, 510, 610 have confronting proximal end(414 a, 514 a, 614 a) and distal end (414 b, 514 b, 614 b) sheet edgeswhich are sealed (as at 416 a, 516 a, 616 a and 416 b, 516 b, 616 b,respectively), and they also have respective tear lines (432, 532, 632)leading to respective tear strips (420, 520, 620) which may besubstantially as shown in the drawings. Further, the catheter packages410, 510, 610 have respective finger hole(s) (428, 430; 528; 530; 630)to assist the end user in opening the packages.

With regard to all of the aforementioned embodiments and features, itwill be understood that they are useful for all catheter productpackages regardless of the exact size and shape and whether or not theyare formed to hold catheters alone or to hold urine collection bagassemblies that incorporate a catheter therein. Thus, it will also beseen from FIGS. 8 and 8 a that a wetted wick 633 is used to activate ahydrophilic coating on the catheter 613, and a gas permeable, liquidimpermeable barrier 634 is heat sealed as at 634 a and 634 b to theinner surface of the sheet material 614 in a manner which is sufficientto cover the wetted wick 633. In this manner, the sealed cavity 618formed by the package 610 will have the urine collection bag assembly658 in one compartment 618 a and the liquid used to wet the wick inanother compartment 618 b whereby the hydrophilic coated catheter 613 ismaintained out of direct contact with the liquid.

As will be appreciated, the collection bag 658 will be formed of a gaspermeable, liquid impermeable material to permit vapor produced by achange of phase of the liquid in the wick 633 to pass through the gaspermeable barrier 634, through the gas permeable collection bag, andthrough the no-touch sleeve 615 to hydrate the hydrophilic coating onthe catheter 613.

Referring to FIG. 5, the apparatus 60 can be utilized to perform anautomated method of forming packages for catheters wherein a roll ofsheet material 62 is provided on a reel holder 64 for forming thepackages. The sheet material is advanced from the roll 62 in a flat formas at 66 toward a catheter product receiving point 68. A tear strip isaffixed as at 70 to the sheet material as it advances in a flat form asat 66 toward the catheter receiving point 68. In one application, thecatheter products comprise catheters which have a hydrophilic coating inwhich case the method includes affixing or otherwise disposing a wick,such as a length of fabric, as at 78 on a surface of the sheet material.The method also may include wetting the wick as at 80 with an aqueousliquid such as liquid water. A gas permeable, liquid impermeable barrieris then deposited over the wick and heat sealed as at 81 to the innersurface of the sheet material, thus sealing the wetted wick between theinner surface of the sheet material and the gas permeable, liquidimpermeable barrier.

The sheet material having the gas permeable, liquid impermeable barriersealed thereto is then wrapped into a U-shape to receive the catheterproducts at the catheter product receiving point 68. The catheterproducts traveling on the infeed conveyor 72 are placed on the U-shapedsheet material (or, more precisely, onto an exposed surface of the gaspermeable, liquid impermeable barrier) one at a time at the catheterproduct receiving point 68, and the sheet material is further wrappedabout each of the catheter products. The further wrapping of the sheetmaterial forms a cavity for the catheter products. The sheet material issealed as at 74 in a manner forming a separate, sealed cavity for eachof the catheter products, following which the sheet material is cut asat 76 in a manner forming a separate, distinct package for each of thecatheter products.

In each of the distinct packaged catheter products, as the liquidassociated with the wick changes phase from a liquid to a vapor, theresulting vapor is able to pass through the gas permeable, liquidimpermeable barrier, and activate the hydrophilic coating of thecatheter.

In addition, the step of affixing a tear strip on the sheet materialpreferably includes affixing the strip as at 70 so as to extendgenerally parallel to the catheter products within the sealed cavities.

The sheet material preferably comprises a liquid tight, gas impermeablefoil, the tear strip is formed of a suitable material such as polyesterhaving a polyethylene backing, and the tear strip is adhesively orotherwise affixed in position on the inner surface of the sheetmaterial. The foil preferably has sufficient tear propagationproperties, as may be provided by having a sufficient aluminum content,so that tearing in the direction of the tear strip causes the tear tothereafter propagate along the tear strip to cause the packages to openalong an intended opening line.

As will also be appreciated, the step of sealing the sheet material foreach package includes forming a seal extending generally parallel to thecatheter product and forming a seal extending generally perpendicular tothe catheter product at each of opposite ends thereof. In particular,the step of sealing the sheet material includes forming a longitudinalseal along the length of the catheter product and forming an end seal ateach of opposite ends of the catheter product to form the sealed cavitytherefor. Preferably, with the sheet material being comprised of aliquid tight, gas impermeable foil, the longitudinal seal and the endseals all are formed as weld seals with one of the end seals beingformed longer than the other of the end seals.

As will also be appreciated, the step of sealing the sheet materialtherefore preferably includes forming a single longitudinal sealgenerally parallel to the catheter product and forming a pair of endseals generally perpendicular to the catheter product beyond oppositeends thereof. The catheter product and the tear strip are bothpreferably placed on a common surface of the sheet material (or, incertain embodiments, the catheter is separated from the inner surface ofthe sheet material by a gas permeable, liquid impermeable barrier) andthe tear strip is of a length so as to extend continuously through eachof the end seals in such a manner as to be generally parallel to thesingle longitudinal seal and the catheter product. Moreover, one of theend seals will be understood to be formed in such a manner as to belonger than the other of the end seals, wherein the longer end seal issuitably provided with a finger hole and a tear line extending fromadjacent the finger hole to adjacent the tear strip.

By using the described materials and sealing techniques, the presentdisclosure eliminates the need for two sheets of material joined by aseal which extends entirely about the perimeter of the package. Thisensures a compact package wherein only a single sheet of material isused and in which a pair of end seals must cooperate with only a singlelongitudinal seal to ensure the cavity containing the catheter productremains sealed until the end user decides to open the package to use thecatheter product.

In another respect, the catheter product package may be constructed oftwo sheets of material which are sealed about their perimeters to definea catheter product-receiving sealed cavity, or it may be constructed ofa vacuum or thermo formed plastic material to define a cavity sealedwith a sheet material. A tear strip may advantageously be affixed to thesheet material to cause it to tear along the tear strip so the packageopens along an intended opening line whereby the tear strip extends froma perimeter seal to a point within the sealed cavity to facilitateremoval of the catheter product from the package for use. Preferably,the tear strip is secured adhesively or by heat sealing it to an innersurface of the sheet material, and the sheet material is formed of foilor some other material having suitable linear tear propagationtendencies to cause the package to be opened along the intended openingline.

With regard to these alternative forms of catheter product package, itwill be appreciated that these are additional potential tear stripembodiments using the concepts of the illustrated and describedembodiments. The only difference would lie in the catheter productpackage either being in the form of a conventional catheter productpackage formed of two sheets of material sealed about their perimetersor in the form of a vacuum or thermo formed plastic material sealed witha sheet material in place of the wrapped configuration which is fullyillustrated and described hereinabove. By forming seals and placing tearlines and tear strips as shown and described herein, the benefits of thetear strips can be realized in any catheter product package for thosepossessing a limited degree of manual dexterity.

While in the foregoing, preferred embodiments of the present disclosurehave been set forth, it will be appreciated that the details hereingiven may be varied by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe true spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A method of forming a package for a catheter product, comprising thesteps of: providing a sheet material for the package; placing thecatheter product on the sheet material; wrapping the sheet materialaround the catheter product; and sealing the sheet material to form asealed cavity; the catheter product being disposed within the sealedcavity.
 2. The method of claim 1 including the step of affixing a tearstrip to the sheet material.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the stepof affixing a tear strip to the sheet material includes affixing thetear strip to extend in a desired direction relative to the catheterproduct within the sealed cavity after the sheet material is sealed. 4.The method of claim 2 wherein prior to wrapping the catheter product andthe tear strip are both on a common surface of the sheet material toextend in laterally spaced, generally parallel relation in alongitudinal direction thereon.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein thesheet material comprises a liquid tight, gas impermeable foil and thetear strip is affixed to the common surface of the sheet material. 6.The method of claim 5 wherein the foil has sufficient tear propagationproperties so that tearing in the direction of the tear strip causes thetear to thereafter propagate along the tear strip to cause the packageto open along an intended opening line.
 7. The method of claim 1 whereinthe step of sealing the sheet material includes forming a seal extendinggenerally parallel to the catheter product and forming a seal generallyperpendicular to the catheter product at each of opposite ends thereof.8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sealing the sheet materialincludes forming a longitudinal seal along the length of the catheterproduct and forming an end seal at each of opposite ends of the catheterproduct to form the sealed cavity for the catheter product.
 9. Themethod of claim 8 wherein the sheet material comprises a liquid tight,gas impermeable foil, the longitudinal seal and the end seals all beingformed as weld seals, and one of the end seals being formed longer thanthe other of the end seals.
 10. The method of claim 2 wherein the stepof sealing the sheet material includes forming a longitudinal sealgenerally parallel to the catheter product and forming a pair of endseals generally perpendicular to the catheter product beyond oppositeends.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the catheter product and thetear strip are both on a common surface of the sheet material and thetear strip extends from one of the end seals to the other of the endseals generally parallel to the longitudinal seal.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 wherein one of the end seals is formed longer than the other ofthe end seals, the longer of the end seals having a finger hole and atear line extending from adjacent the finger hole to adjacent the tearstrip.
 13. The method of claim 2 wherein the catheter product includes acatheter having a hydrophilic coating on an insertable portion thereofand including the step of affixing a wick on a common surface of thesheet material with the catheter product and the tear strip.
 14. Themethod of claim 13 including the step of wetting the wick with anaqueous liquid prior to forming the sealed cavity to thereafter producea water vapor atmosphere within the sealed cavity to activate thehydrophilic coating on the catheter.
 15. The method of claim 14including the step of affixing a gas permeable, liquid impermeablebarrier to the common surface of the sheet material to cover the wettedwick and confine the liquid within a liquid tight compartment.
 16. Themethod of claim 15 wherein the wick is disposed on the common surface ofthe sheet material to extend in generally parallel relation to thecatheter product and the tear strip in a longitudinal direction on thesheet material.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the catheter productcomprises a catheter having a hydrophilic coating on the insertableportion thereof and the catheter is disposed so as to extend in agenerally longitudinal direction within the package.
 18. The method ofclaim 17 wherein the catheter includes a no-touch sleeve formed of a gaspermeable material and extending along the catheter to coversubstantially the entire insertable portion having the hydrophiliccoating thereon.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the catheter furtherincludes an insertion tip at one end thereof, the no-touch sleeve beingattached to at least the insertion tip, and the insertion tip includes aprotective cap to be removed for using the catheter.
 20. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the catheter product comprises a catheter having ahydrophilic coating on the insertable portion thereof and the catheteris disposed within a urine collection bag so as to extend in a generallyU-shape.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the urine collection bag isformed of a gas permeable, liquid impermeable material, the catheterincludes a no-touch sleeve formed of a gas impermeable material, and theurine collection bag is generally rectangular in shape.
 22. A method offorming packages for catheter products, comprising the steps of:providing a roll of sheet material for forming the packages; advancingthe sheet material from the roll in a flat form toward a catheterproduct receiving point; advancing catheter products one at a time abovethe sheet material toward the catheter product receiving point; affixinga tear strip to the sheet material as it advances toward the catheterproduct receiving point; wrapping the sheet material into a U-shape toreceive the catheter products at the catheter product receiving point;placing the catheter products on the U-shaped sheet material one at atime at the catheter product receiving point further wrapping the sheetmaterial about the each of the catheter products to thereby form acavity therefor; sealing the sheet material in a manner forming aseparate, sealed cavity for each of the catheter products; andthereafter cutting the sheet material in a manner forming a separate,distinct package for each of the catheter products.
 23. The method ofclaim 22 wherein the catheter products each comprise a catheter having ahydrophilic coating on an insertable portion thereof and including thestep of affixing a wick on a common surface of the sheet material forthe catheter products and the tear strip.
 24. The method of claim 23including the step of wetting the wick with an aqueous liquid prior toforming the sealed cavities to thereafter produce a water vaporatmosphere within the sealed cavities to activate the hydrophiliccoating on the catheter.
 25. The method of claim 24 including the stepof affixing a gas permeable, liquid impermeable barrier to the sheetmaterial to cover the wetted wick and confine the liquid within a liquidtight compartment out of direct contact with the catheter.
 26. Themethod of claim 22 wherein the step of affixing a tear strip on thesheet material includes affixing the strip to extend generally parallelto the catheter products and be disposed within the sealed cavitiesafter the sheet material is sealed.
 27. The method of claim 26 whereinprior to further wrapping, the catheter products and the tear strip areboth on a common surface of the sheet material so as to extend inlaterally spaced, generally parallel relation in a longitudinaldirection thereon.
 28. The method of claim 27 wherein the sheet materialcomprises a liquid tight, gas impermeable foil and the tear strip isformed of polyester, has a polyethylene backing, and is affixed inposition on the common surface of the sheet material.
 29. The method ofclaim 28 wherein the foil has sufficient aluminum content so thattearing in the direction of the tear strip causes the tear to thereafterpropagate along the tear strip to cause the packages to open along anintended opening line.
 30. The method of claim 22 wherein the step ofsealing the sheet material includes forming a seal extending generallyparallel to the catheter products and forming a seal generallyperpendicular to the catheter products at each of opposite ends thereof.31. The method of claim 30 wherein the step of sealing the sheetmaterial includes forming a longitudinal seal along the length of thecatheter products and forming an end seal at each of opposite ends ofthe catheter products to form the sealed cavities for the catheterproducts.
 32. The method of claim 31 wherein the sheet materialcomprises a liquid tight, gas impermeable foil, the longitudinal sealand the end seals all being formed as weld seals, and with one of theend seals being formed longer than the other of the end seals.
 33. Themethod of claim 22 wherein the step of sealing the sheet materialincludes forming longitudinal seals generally parallel to the catheterproducts and forming respective pairs of end seals generallyperpendicular to the catheter products beyond opposite ends thereof. 34.The method of claim 33 wherein the catheter products and the tear stripare both placed on a common surface of the sheet material and the tearstrip extends continuously through each of the end seals in such amanner as to be generally parallel to the longitudinal seal.
 35. Themethod of claim 34 wherein every other one of the end seals is formed soas to be a longer end seal and a shorter end seal, the longer end sealseach having a finger hole and a tear line extending from adjacent thefinger hole to adjacent the tear strip.
 36. A package for a catheterproduct, comprising: a sheet material wrapped about the catheter productto form a package for the catheter product, the catheter productextending generally longitudinally within the package, the sheetmaterial extending from beyond the proximal end to beyond the distal endof the catheter product; the sheet material being wrapped about thecatheter product to have confronting proximal end and distal end sheetedges and confronting side sheet edges; and a seal joining theconfronting proximal end and distal end sheet edges and the confrontingside sheet edges of the sheet material to define a sealed cavity for thecatheter product.
 37. The package of claim 36 including a tear stripaffixed to the sheet material to cause the sheet material to tear alongthe tear strip to thereby cause the package to open along an intendedopening line.
 38. The package of claim 37 wherein the tear strip extendswithin the sealed cavity in a desired direction relative to the catheterproduct to cause the package to open along the intended opening line ina manner facilitating removal of the catheter product from the packagefor use.
 39. The package of claim 37 wherein the tear strip is affixedto an inner surface of the sheet material within the sealed cavity andextends from the sealed proximal end to the sealed distal end sheetedges in generally parallel relation to the catheter product.
 40. Thepackage of claim 39 wherein the sheet material comprises a liquid tight,gas impermeable foil and the tear strip affixed in position within thesealed cavity on the inner surface of the sheet material.
 41. Thepackage of claim 37 wherein the tear strip is affixed to an innersurface of the sheet material within the sealed cavity and extendsadjacent and generally parallel to one of the sealed proximal end andsealed distal end sheet edges.
 42. The package of claim 41 wherein thesheet material comprises a liquid tight, gas impermeable foil and thetear strip is formed of polyester, has a polyethylene backing, and isaffixed in position within the sealed cavity on the inner surface of thesheet material.
 43. The package of claim 37 wherein the package is of agenerally rectangular shape, the sheet material is wrapped about thecatheter product and sealed to define a front panel and a rear panel,and a longitudinal seal is formed in the middle of the rear panel. 44.The package of claim 43 wherein the tear strip is affixed to an innersurface of the sheet material so as to be positioned in the middle ofthe front panel so as to be directly opposite the longitudinal sealformed in the middle of the rear panel.
 45. The package of claim 43wherein the front and rear panels define a pair of parallel side edgesand including a pair of tear strips affixed to an inner surface of thesheet material so that one of the tear strips is positioned at each ofthe side edges.
 46. The package of claim 37 wherein the seal joining theconfronting side sheet edges forms a longitudinal seal parallel to thecatheter product and the seals joining the confronting proximal end anddistal end sheet edges form end seals generally perpendicular to thecatheter product.
 47. The package of claim 46 wherein the sheet materialcomprises a liquid tight, gas impermeable foil, the longitudinal sealand the end seals all being formed as weld seals, and with one of theend seals being formed longer than the other of the end seals.
 48. Thepackage of claim 46 wherein one of the end seals is formed longer thanthe other of the end seals, the longer of the end seals having at leastone finger hole and a tear line extending from adjacent the finger holeto adjacent the tear strip.
 49. The package of claim 36 wherein thecatheter product comprises a catheter having a hydrophilic coating on aninsertable portion thereof and including a wick disposed on an innersurface of the sheet material within the sealed cavity.
 50. The packageof claim 49 wherein the wick is wetted with an aqueous liquid prior toforming the sealed cavity to thereafter produce a water vapor atmospherewithin the sealed cavity to activate the hydrophilic coating on thecatheter.
 51. The package of claim 50 including a gas permeable, liquidimpermeable barrier affixed to the sheet material to cover the wettedwick and confine the liquid within a liquid tight compartment out ofdirect contact with the catheter.
 52. The package of claim 50 whereinthe wick is disposed on the inner surface of the sheet material withinthe sealed cavity to extend in generally parallel relation to thecatheter and the tear strip in a longitudinal direction thereon.
 53. Thepackage of claim 36 wherein the catheter product comprises a catheterhaving a hydrophilic coating on the insertable portion thereof and thecatheter is disposed so as to extend in a generally longitudinaldirection within the package.
 54. The method of claim 53 wherein thecatheter product includes a no-touch sleeve formed of a gas permeablematerial and extending along the catheter to cover substantially theentire insertable portion having the hydrophilic coating thereon. 55.The package of claim 54 wherein the catheter product further includes aninsertion tip at one end thereof, the no-touch sleeve being attached toat least the insertion tip, and the insertion tip includes a protectivecap to be removed for using the catheter.
 56. The package of claim 36wherein the catheter product comprises a catheter having a hydrophiliccoating on the insertable portion thereof and the catheter is disposedwithin a urine collection bag so as to extend in a generally U-shape.57. The package of claim 56 wherein the urine collection bag is formedof a gas permeable, liquid impermeable material, the catheter includes ano-touch sleeve formed of a gas impermeable material, and the urinecollection bag is generally rectangular in shape.
 58. A package for acatheter product, comprising: a sheet material wrapped about thecatheter product to form a generally rectangular package for thecatheter product, the catheter product extending generallylongitudinally and substantially from a proximal end to a distal end ofthe package, the sheet material extending from beyond the proximal endof the catheter product to beyond the distal end of the catheterproduct; the sheet material being wrapped about the catheter product tohave confronting proximal end and distal end sheet edges and confrontingside sheet edges; a continuous seal formed of: (i) a pair of end sealsjoining the confronting proximal end and distal end sheet edges of thesheet material and (ii) a longitudinal seal joining the confronting sidesheet edges of the sheet material, to define a sealed cavity for thecatheter product.
 59. The package of claim 58 including a tear stripaffixed to the sheet material to cause the sheet material to tear alongthe tear strip to thereby cause the package to open along an intendedopening line.
 60. The package of claim 59 wherein one of the end sealsis formed longer than the other of the end seals, the longer of the endseals having at least one finger hole and a tear line extending fromadjacent the finger hole to adjacent the tear strip.
 61. The package ofclaim 60 including a pair of finger holes in longitudinally spacedrelation within the longer of the end seals and a tear line having acurved path from one side toward the other side of the package to apoint adjacent the tear strip.
 62. The package of claim 60 wherein thesheet material is wrapped about the catheter product and sealed todefine a front panel and a rear panel, and a longitudinal seal beingformed in the middle of the rear panel and extending from one end sealto the other end seal.
 63. The package of claim 62 wherein the front andrear panels define a pair of parallel side edges and including a pair oftear strips affixed to an inner surface of the sheet material so thatone of the tear strips is positioned at each of the side edges.
 64. Thepackage of claim 63 including a pair of finger holes in laterally spacedrelation within the longer of the end seals and a tear line having astraight path between the finger holes branching into two curved pathsto points adjacent the respective tear strips.
 65. The package of claim62 wherein the tear strip is affixed to an inner surface of the sheetmaterial so as to be positioned in the middle of the front panel so asto be directly opposite the longitudinal seal formed in the middle ofthe rear panel.
 66. The package of claim 65 wherein the finger hole iscentrally disposed in the front panel within the longer of the end sealsin an opening tab formed by a slit looping from adjacent the tear strip,around the finger hole, and back adjacent to the tear strip.
 67. Thepackage of claim 59 including a separate seal along an edge of thegenerally rectangular package, the tear strip extending laterally of thepackage from the seal to the opposite edge thereof, and including a pairof slits on opposite sides of the tear strip within the seal to definean opening tab to tear open the package.
 68. A package for a catheterproduct, comprising: a sealed cavity for the catheter product defined atleast in part by a sheet material; and a tear strip affixed to the sheetmaterial; the tear strip causing the sheet material to tear along anintended opening line.
 69. The package of claim 68 including a sealassociated with the sheet material defining at least in part the sealedcavity for the catheter product.
 70. The package of claim 69 wherein thetear strip extends from the seal to a point overlying the sealed cavityto facilitate catheter product removal.
 71. The package of claim 70wherein the tear strip is affixed to an inner surface of the sheetmaterial so as to face the cavity for the catheter product.
 72. Thepackage of claim 71 wherein the sheet material is formed of a materialcharacterized by linear tear propagation tendencies.
 73. The package ofclaim 69 wherein the seal associated with the sheet material has atleast one finger hole extending therethrough.
 74. The package of claim73 wherein the tear line extends from a point adjacent the finger holeto a point adjacent the tear strip.
 75. The method of claim 6 whereinthe tear propagation properties are provided by the foil having asufficient aluminum content.